Testing stay bolts having telltale holes



Dec. 29, 1925 1,567,721

J. R. FLANNERY ET AL TESTING STAY BOLTS HAVING TEIJLTALE HOLES Filed March 18 192].

Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,567,721 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ROGERS FLAINNBRY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, AllTD WILLIAM MCCLINE WILSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLHVOIS, ASSIGNOBS T0 FLANNERY BOLT COMPANY, OF

p vents-on, PENNSYLVANIA.

TESTING STAY BOLTS HAVIHG TELLTALE HOLES.

Application Med larch 18, 1921. Serial No. 4 5 3,220.

o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN Rooms FLAN- NERY and WILLIAM M. WILSON, citizens of the United States, and residents of Pittsburgh and Chicago, in the counties of Allegheny and Cook and States of Pennsylvania and Illinois, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Testing Stay Bolts Having Telltale Holes; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descri tion of the invention, such as will enab e others skilled in the art to which it appertains-to make and use the same.

This invention ielatesto improvements for testing staybolts having tell-tale holes.

In the construction of staybolts for boilers, it is necessary that the structure shall be such as to admit of inspection to determine whether the bolts have become fractured. Various means have been resorted to for accomplishing this,among which may be mentioned, the removal of a cap employed normally to enclose the bolt head and its hearing, so that access may be had to the bolt. Such method to accomplish the testing of the bolts is very tedious and expensive when it is remembered that many millions of staybolt structures of this type are now in use and that each boiler construction employs a very large number of these stuybolts.

in an ell'ort to avoid necessity for removing the capsfor inspection purposes it has been proposed to provide ,staybolts for boilers with tell-tale holes, so that in the event of fracture of the bolt water and steam enterin such hole would denote the fractured con ition of the bolt. \Vhen the tell-tale hole is closed at the headed end of the bolt and open at the inner or fire-box end, soot, scale or other foreign solid matter is liable to enter the tell-tale hole and thus clog the same, and to avoid this, temporary plugs have been inserted into the inner end of the tell-tale hole. Such temporary plugs will serve to exclude the entrance of solid substances from the fire-box, but it is possible that in some instances especially when a belt becomes but slightly fractured, sediment contained in the water of the boiler, might enter, with water and steam, through the opening formed by the fra ture and accumulate within the tell-tale hole,and there may be a ossibility of such sediment so closing the slight fracture as to preclude the entrance of sufficient steam and water into the tell-tale hole to be readily detected by an, inspector upon removing the temporary plug at the inner end of the telltale hole.

The object of our presentinvention is to provide for the testing of staybolts having tell-tale holes, in such manner that the inspector may determine with certainty whether a bolt has become fractured, however small the fracture may be, by ascertaining not only whether the telltale hole contains water or steam, but also whether said hole contains an accumulation of sediment which might have entered said hole through a fracture in the bolt or otherwise.

\Vith this object in view, the invention consists in certain novel features as herein after set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional view of a staybolt illustrating one embodiment of our invention; Figure 2 is a view of a testing implement which may be employed, and Figure 3 shows another embodiment of the invention.

1 represents a staybolt of the flexible type, having a rounded head 2 forged at the outer end of its body portion. After the forged head 2 shall have been formed a telltale hole will be formed by drilling continuously from one end of the bolt into or through the headed end thereof. in the construction shown in Figure 1 the longitudinal bore which forms the tell-tale hole 3 is drilled throughout the full length of the bolt including its headed portion, and in orderthat the tell-tale hole may be made to terminate Within the head 2 (and therefore beyond every portion of the bolt which might be liable to fracture), we may insert a plug or closure 5 into the portion of the bore which extends through the head. This plug or closure may be either permanent or temporary. Instead of drilling the bore entirely through the bolt body and its head and closing the outer end of said bore with.

a plug as above described, the drilling of the bore may be made to terminate within the hrs-l 2, as indicated at 6, Figure 3.

Within the outer end portion of the tell-- tale hole which is located within the head 2 of the bolt, :1 material 7 is located. \Vhen in the head 2, and then the plug may be forced through the bore from the construction shown in Figure 1 is emadhere ployed, the material 7 may be first inserted into the bore so as to become disposed with inserted into the outer end of the bore. When the construction of bolt shown in Figure 2 is used, the material 7 may be the inner enli thereof so that it will become disposed in the outer end of said bore within the head 2. The inner or firebox end of the bore or tell-tale hole will be closed by a removable or temporary plug 8. r

The material 7 above referred to will be such as will color, discolor or permit po'r tions of its mass to become attached to'a testing implement, 9,-such, for example, as a rod or wire havin a serrated end, when the same is inserted into, the bore and thrust thereo against such material. As one example of dicatin a material 7 which might be employed we may mention a mixture of talcum powder, silicate of soda and a coloring matter, such as vermillion.

When it is desired to test the bolt without removin the cap of the structure the inspector wili remove the lug 8 at the inner end of the bore or telftale hole 3, and if no discharge of water or ole occurs (which discha e would at once indicate a ruptured condition of the bolt), he will thrust the testing implement 9 into the bore. If a small fracture has occurred in the bolt; which would ermit the entrance and accumulation 01 sediment, the im lement 9 will encounter such sediment and this would indicate to the inspector that the belt is imperfect. On the other hand, should the ins ector be able readily to pass the testing rod or wire through bore until it encounters the material 7, such material will be caused bv turning the rod or wire to hole at by the.

I. pearance of the end of indicate to the inspector (when he withdraws said rod or wire) that the portion of the bore within the head had b and thus denote in the bore) that the bolt is perfect.

Having fully what we claim as by Letters-Patent,

tending from one en thereof and. closed at its other end, and indicating means said hole for cooperation with a testing implement, substantially as described.

tending steam from said ,material ada ted to .afi'ect whether the implement In testimony specification.

to the latter and change the a the same, which Wlll een reached (by the absence of sediment described our invention new and desire to secure is:- staybolt havin a tell-tale hole exof the bolt axially at said closed end only of staybolt havin a tell-tale hole exfrom one an of the bolt axially and closed at its other end, and inmeans at said closed end only of said ho e adapted to color the end of a testing implementinserted in said stantially as described.

3. Th ing a tell-tale hole extending of the bolt axially thereof and closed at its other end,

hole, sube method of. testing a staybolthavfrom one end lacing within said ereof an indicating a testing implesaid closed en ment when t e latter is brought into contact therewith, insertin ment into saidhole an limit of its movement therein, and

a testin implemoving itto the noting has been affected indicating material, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

JOHN ROGERS FLANNERY.

whereof I havesigned this WILLIAM MoOLINE WILSON.

into the bore so as to become disposed within the head .2, and then the plug may be inserted into the outer end of the bore. When the construction of bolt shown in Figure 2 is used. the material 7 may be forced through the bore from the inner enll thereof so that it will become disposed in the outer end of said bore within the head 2. The inner or fire-box end of the bore or tell-tale hole will be closed by a removable or temporary plug 8.

The material 7 above referred to will be such as will color, discolor or permit po'rtions of its mass to become attached toa testing implement, 9,-such, for example, as a rod or wire having a serrated end, when the same is inserted into the bore and thrust against such material. As one example of a material 7 which might be employed we may mention a mixture of talcum powder, silicate of soda and a coloring matter, such as vermillion. i i

W'hen it is desired to test the bolt without removing the cap of the structure the inspector will remove the plug 8 at the inner end of the bore or tell-tale hole 3, and

if no discharge of water or steam from said hole occurs (which discharge would at once indicate a ruptured condition of the bolt), he will thrust the testing implement 9 into the bore. If a small fracture has occurred in the bolt," which would ermit the entrance and accumulation o sediment, the im lenient 9 will encounter such sedlment and this would indicate to the inspector that the bolt is imperfect. On the other hand, should the inspector be able readily to pass the testing rod or wire through bore until it encounters the material 7, such material will be caused by turning the rod or wire to adhere to the latter and change the ap pearance of the end of the same, which will indicate to the inspector (when he with draws said rod or wire) that the portion of the bore within the head had been reached and thus denote (by the absence of sediment in the bore) that the bolt is perfect.

Having, fully described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. A staybolt having a tell-tale hole extending from one end of the bolt axially thereof and closed at its other end, and indicating means at said closed end only of said hole for cooperation with a testing implement, substantially as described.

2. A staybolt having a tell-tale hole extending from one end of the bolt axially thereof and closed at its other end, and indicatino' means at said closed end only of said ho e adapted to color the end of a testing implement inserted in said hole, substantially as described.

3. he method of testing a staybolt having a tell-tale hole extending from one end of the bolt axially thereof and closed at its other end, comprisin placing within said hole at said. closed emf thereof an indicating material adapted to affect a testing implement when the latter is brought into contact therewith, insertin a testin implement into said hole ant moving it to the limit of its movement therein, and noting wliether the implement has been affected by the indicating material, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

JOHN ROGERS FLANNERY.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

\VILLIAM MGCLINE WILSON.

Certificate of Correction.

It is herel' y certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,567,721, granted December 29, 1925, for an 'uuproyement m Testing Stay llolts Having TelItale Holes, the name of the second-mentionml pateute" was erroneously written andprinte d as lVilliam McCline ilsonf wl'iereas said name should have lViZliam J1 ct u u'e Wilson; and that the this correc on therein that the Patent Ofllee.

I, been written and printed as said Letters Patent should be read with same may conform :o the record of the case in th Cer tificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Pnient N0. L,:367J21, gTanted December 29, 1925, for an improvementin Testing Sta llolts Having Telltale Holes, the name of the second-mentioned p-atente" was Orl'oncuu ly written and printeclas \Villiam McCline' Wilson, whereas said name Sllfillhl have beenWvrltten and printed as William MCGJ/Q'I'G Wilson, and that the Said Letters Patent should heread with this correc iou-fhemin that the same may mnl'm-ul :0 the record of tb e-cas in th Patent Ofllac.

Signed and sealed this 9th day of February A. D 1926.

[SEAL] WM. A. KINNAH- A Umnmissiovwruf Pitents. 

